Combination resistance and reflector units



.July 16, 1929. o. c. BRITSCH 1.721392 COMBINATION RESISTANCE ANDREFLECTOR UNITS Filed April 23, 1926 l ATTORNE S.

Patented July 16, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO C. IBRITSCH, OF WOODHAVEN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY HYMAN, OFBROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

COMBINATION RESISTANCE AND REFLECTOR UNITS.

Application filed Apri1'23, 1926. Serial No. 104,050.

My invention relates to combination resistance and reflector units,particularly suitable for and preferably used in connection withelectrical lighting devices for Christ-ma trees.

As Christmas tree lights are usually installed there are eight lights inseries on a string. Should one of these lamps burn out the circuit ofall the others is open and they also go out.

I have overcome this difficulty by connecting a resistance in shunt witheach lamp so that if the lamp filament burns out, the circuit for theother lamps is maintained. I prefer to mount the resistance on areflector and connect it so that when the reflector. is in position, theresistance will be automatically connected in shunt to the lamp.

My invention will be better understood by reading the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Fi 1 is a vertical section of a reflector showing the arrangementof the parts;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of certain parts of the unit;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a portion ofthe resistance unit;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of a modified form of the unit; I

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the device shown in Fig. 4;

-Fig. 6 is a circuit diagram of a string, or outfit; and a Fig. 7 is acircuit diagram of a modified form of the invention.

The unit consists of av base 1 of porcelain or other insulating materialhaving a screwthreaded member thereon. The member 2 may be extended andsomewhat enlarged to form the socket 3. The reflector 4 forming the bodyof the device may be of any suit-v able material, althoughI prefer tomake it of asbestos composition, which is not only an insulatingmaterial but fireproof as well. Preferably in the perimeter of thereflector the resistance unit 5 is imbedded on a core 6 of anysuitablematerial.

Extending through the porcelain base 1 is a screw 7 having a head 8which engages the center contact of the usual lamp socket. The other endof the screw 7 extends into the socket 3 and connects with a metal strip9, which in turn connects with the resist-. ance 5. I The other end ofthe resistance 5.

connects with a strip 10, which in turn is connected to the socket 3.The end 11 of the screw 7 forms the center contact of the socket andwhen the lamp is screwed into the socket 3 the center contact engagesthe end 11, thus connecting one end of the filament to the circuit, andthe shell of the lamp base engages the socket 3, thus connectingthe'other end of the filament to the circuit and at the same time theresistance 5 is connected in shunt with the filament. The sur-' face 12of the reflector may be of any desirable character, either plain,polished or colored, so as to produce the desired effect shown in Figs.1 to 3, but the reflector is divided into two parts 13 and 14. Theseparts are preferably'of porcelain and the part 13 is molded around theshell 15 and holds the screw 16 in position, as shown in Fig. 5. One endof the resistance 17 is connected with the shell 15 by a conductor 18,and the other end is connected with the screw 16 by a conductor '19. Themember 14 of the reflector is provided on its interior with screwthreads and may be screwed into place on the socket 20, as shown inFigs. 4: and 5. Openings 21 are provided in the members 13 and 14 so asto allow free circulation of air around the resistance to keep itstemperature down. By reference to Figs. 1 and 5, it will be noted that asubstantial part of the resistance 17 is exposed to the air. a

In Fig. 6, I have shown a circuit diagram in which the resistances 5 areconnected in shunt with the lamp filament A. From this diagram it willbe plain that upon the burning out of one or more filaments, the circuitof the other filaments will be maintained through the resistances 5.

In Fig. 7, I have illustrated a modified form of the invention wherein asecond resistance 22 is connected in multiple with a part of theresistance 23. The resistance 22 maybe alamp filament, a cigar lighter,or any other device. The advantage of connecting the resistance 22 atintermediate points of the resistance 23 is that usually one side of thedomestic lighting circuit is grounded, as, for instance, the negativewhere D. C. current is used. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 7, if theend 24 of resistance 22 should become grounded as by touching a radiatoror other device, the resistance 25 would be across the circuit. That isto say, current would flow from the plus wire 26 to ground at the point24 through resistance 25. Under like circumstances, if the point 24 wereconnected directly to the conductor 26 as at 27, aground on the point 24would result in a dead short circuit across the wires 26 and 28. I11 theevent that the wires 26 and 28 were supplied by A. C. current, eitherside of the resistance 22 might be grounded without causing a shortcircuit.

The devices shown in the drawings may be used for other purposes thanreflectors, for instance, as units in an electric heater. In such case aplurality of the units are screwed to fether to form the desired size ofheater.

any advantages of my device will be apparent to those skilled in the artand many changes may be made in details without departing from thespirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A reflector for Christmas tree lights having an upper member carryinga screw plug and a socket, a resistance unit having one end connected tothe center contact of the plug and the other to the socket and a lowermember for said reflector adapted to be screwed onto said socket to holdthe said reiistance between said upper and lower memers.

2. In combination, a body having a socket therein for the reception ofan electrical power consumption device, two contacts in said socket andadapted to be connected when said device is inserted in the socket, anda fixed resistance in the form of a continuous conductor substantiallyembedded in said bodyand having its ends permanently connected to saidcontacts, thereby forming a shunt circuit of fixed resistance inparallel with the lamp whereby when the device is in place in thesocket, a circuit therethrough is normally established and whereby whenthe' circuit through said device is interrupted a SlluIlhClICulb throughthe resistance is provided.

OTTO C. BRITSCH.

